U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that $60 million is now available for Washington, D.C. under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Washington, D.C. will be eligible to apply for another $29 million this fall. Today’s funding is being made available per Washington, D.C.’s successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st.

“The $60 million Washington, D.C. will receive today is part of the single largest boost in education funding in recent history,” said Duncan. “The President’s leadership and support from Congress have made this historic investment possible. Washington, D.C. can now utilize these funds to save jobs and lay the groundwork for a generation of education reform.”

To date, Washington, D.C. has received more than $29 million in education stimulus funds—representing a combination of funding for Title I, IDEA, Vocational Rehabilitation Grants and Independent Living Grants. On April 1st, Washington, D.C. received $19 million in Title I funding and more than $9 million in IDEA funding. This represents 50% of the Title I and IDEA funding Washington, D.C. is eligible for in total. On April 1st, Washington, D.C. also received $940 thousand in Vocational Rehab funds and more than $246 thousand in Independent Living funds.

In order to receive today’s funds, Washington, D.C. provided assurances that it will collect, publish, analyze and act on basic information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and assessments, progress on removing charter caps and interventions in turning around underperforming schools.

Washington, D.C. is also required by the Department of Education to report the number of jobs saved through Recovery Act funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted and how funds are used.